Ian Blackwell hopes a strong start to the domestic season can propel him back into the England reckoning after a conversation with national selector Geoff Miller

Andrew McGlashan19-Mar-2010Ian Blackwell hopes a strong start to the domestic season can propel him back into the England reckoning after a conversation with national selector Geoff Miller. Blackwell, who has one Test cap, played that last of his 34 one-day internationals in April 2006, but Miller got in touch with the Durham allrounder earlier this year to offer words of encouragement.Blackwell enjoyed a productive 2009 season as Durham defended their Championship title, scoring 801 runs at 40.05 and taking 43 wickets and 23.53 after his move from Somerset, and it could well be his bowling that provides his route back to the top level.Following the one-day series win against Bangladesh Andy Flower, the England coach, said he would ideally like a left-arm spinner in the squad instead of the duel offspin options of Graeme Swann and James Tredwell. With Samit Patel still under a fitness cloud and Monty Panesar unlikely to feature in limited-overs cricket it leaves the door ajar for Blackwell to earn another chance.”I’ve still got ambitions to play for England and I had a brief chat with Geoff Miller about a month ago,” he told Cricinfo. “They spelt out that my door isn’t closed to international cricket which is nice to hear and with such a good season last year that I was deserving of a call and a meeting with Geoff.”With the World Cup being held on the subcontinent next year England will certainly want more than Swann as their slow-bowling option. Blackwell wasn’t a candidate for the preliminary World Twenty20 squad following an off-season shoulder operation and has competition for a spin-bowling position from Michael Yardy, Adil Rashid and David Wainwright who were all named in the 30-man party.For much of the 2009 campaign Blackwell played with a troublesome bowling shoulder and he had surgery in October. He is still undergoing rehab, but is confident he will be back to full fitness for the start of the county season next month and will test out the injury during Durham’s pre-season trip to Abu Dhabi to play MCC in the pink ball trial match.”First thing is I need to get my shoulder right,” he said. “It still feels a bit weak, but the more I play and the more I throw things will strengthen up. Hopefully everything is good and if that’s strong enough and I keep performing the way I did last year then I’m still hopeful of a recall. It’s a job I think I can fulfil.”Like Patel, who has been sidelined from the England set-up since failing fitness requirements on the Lions tour of New Zealand last year, Blackwell’s career has been stalled by concerns over his physique and he would still have to convince Andy Flower that he could buy into the current teams fitness philosophy. However, he believes he has developed as a player since moving counties and has relished the opportunity to take a lead role in the bowling attack.”It was nice to be called upon as an attacking spinner instead of a defensive bowler playing on the wickets I used to at Taunton,” he said. “It was more about me going at two an over rather than taking wickets, but last year I was able to have more success.”To remain in the selectors’ thoughts Blackwell will need a strong season across all formats, including the new 40-over tournament which replaces the Friends Provident Trophy and means there is no 50-over domestic cricket. As someone who is aiming to break back into one-day internationals, Blackwell isn’t convinced it is the best way to go.”I think you have to try and mirror international cricket to be honest,” he said. “I think a lot of players will vote for it because it’s fewer overs to field and the crowds will probably welcome it, but I don’t see how that will improve us in 50-over cricket on the international stage.”I think there has to be some form of give, but whether it should be 10 overs off a competition I’m not sure. Trends are followed from English cricket and whether this is one that will perhaps go international I’m not sure.”

Robin Martin-Jenkins and Monty Panesar took three wickets each as Sussex
manoeuvred themselves into a commanding position on the second day against
Glamorgan

10-Apr-2010
ScorecardRobin Martin-Jenkins and Monty Panesar took three wickets each as Sussex
manoeuvred themselves into a commanding position on the second day against
Glamorgan at the Swalec Stadium. The pair helped to bowl Glamorgan out for just 191 to give Sussex a 93-run first-innings lead.By the close that advantage became 158 as Sussex reached 65 for 1 in
their second innings. Martin-Jenkins finished with figures of 3 for 34 to add to his 65 runs in Sussex’s first innings, while Panesar took 3 for 20 on his championship debut for his new county.At the start of the day some accurate new-ball bowling accounted for both
Glamorgan openers in consecutive overs. Corey Collymore, who forced the Glamorgan top order into plenty of playing and missing on a helpful pitch, claimed the wicket of Will Bragg, caught behind chasing a wide one.In the next over Gareth Rees also tried to drive a wide delivery which was
caught low down by Michael Yardy at first slip off James Anyon. From 19 for 2 Michael Powell and skipper Jamie Dalrymple had to dig deep to build a recovery.But just after reaching a patient 50 partnership for the third wicket Dalrymple
was trapped leg before deceived by a slower Luke Wright delivery. Powell and Ben Wright guided their side to 100 for 3 at lunch.Wright, in the side because overseas opener Mark Cosgrove was rested for the first game, failed to make the most of his opportunity as he was trapped lbw by Martin-Jenkins for 10. And Martin-Jenkins struck three balls later to knock back James Allenby’s off stump.Martin-Jenkins continued his good form by then trapping Powell leg before two
short of a half-century. The wickets kept falling at regular intervals as Harris also went lbw to give Panesar a first Championship wicket for Sussex. Glamorgan then slipped to 164 for 8 when wicket-keeper Mark Wallace chased a wide Wright delivery to be caught behind.Robert Croft and Dean Cosker took their side to 184 without further loss at tea before Panesar claimed Glamorgan’s final two wickets in the space of three overs. Cosker became the fifth lbw victim of the innings and Chris Ashling edged behind.Sussex’s second innings had reached 60 without loss when Yardy was given out lbw to Croft’s first ball, bringing night-watchman Anyon to the middle for the final three overs.

It was an awesome comeback from Sri Lanka. They first bounced back to restrict India, who had galloped to 90 for 1 from 10 overs, to 163 before shrugging off a poor start to chase down the target in the final delivery of the game

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera11-May-2010 Sri Lanka 167 for 5 (Mathews 46, Sangakkara 46, Kapugedera 37*) beat India 163 for 5 (Raina 63) by five wickets

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
HawkeyeChamara Kapugedara’s unbeaten cameo clinched a thriller for Sri Lanka•AFP

Will Sri Lanka go for a win or will they seek to knock out India and hope Australia defeat West Indies to enter the semi-finals? That was the question that hung in the air during the chase. Sri Lanka’s answer was emphatic: They first sealed India’s fate by going past 143, before writing their own destiny by winning off the last delivery of the game.Kumar Sangakkara set up the chase and Angelo Mathews took them to the final lap before Chamara Kapugedera sealed the finish in style by hitting a six off the last ball. It was that close and dramatic. The captain and the two inexperienced men he had backed heavily in the past had come through when it mattered at the big stage.It was an awesome performance from Sri Lanka, who kept wriggling back from difficult positions. They first bounced back to restrict India, who had galloped to 90 for 1 from 10 overs, courtesy a fiery knock from Suresh Raina, to 163 before shrugging off a poor start to chase down the target in thrilling fashion.The final nail-biting moments panned out thus: Sri Lanka needed 25 runs from eight deliveries. Vinay Kumar, who had impressed until then in his first international outing, had the ball and Kapugedera, for whom wins had proven elusive despite his efforts, was on strike. A nervy Vinay slipped a full toss on the fifth ball and Kapugedera heaved it just over the leaping fielder at the long-on boundary for a six that knocked out India. He then slammed the next delivery, a full-pitched one, over long-on to reduce the equation to 13 from the final over, bowled by Ashish Nehra.Mathews collected a six first ball with a gorgeous on-the-up hit over long-off but Nehra hit the blockhole regularly and ran him out with a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Sri Lanka needed three from the final ball and Kapugedera carved the full delivery over the cover boundary for a stunning six. Game over.It was a shot in the 12th over against Harbhajan Singh that turned the tide for Sangakkara and Sri Lanka. Until then, Sangakkara had chosen to move along quietly. He had chosen to rebuild after the loss of Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Sri Lanka had just reached 67 for 3 from 11 overs when he played his first shot of intent. He sashayed down the track and Harbhajan quickly shortened the length. Sangakkara didn’t panic but adjusted superbly to almost nonchalantly punch-flick it over the midwicket boundary. It was moment in the chase as Sangakkara, who had reached 17 from 18 balls until then, ended with a 33-ball 44. He slugged Yusuf Pathan for two on-side sixes in the 14th over to tilt the game Sri Lanka’s way.At this point, Sri Lanka needed 59 from 33 balls to win and a mere 39 runs to knock out India, stay in the hunt, and hope that Australia wouldn’t have an off day against West Indies. Would they go for a win, or play safe? Sangakkara chose victory and fell in the process of attaining it. In the 15th over bowled by Vinay, he backed away outside leg stump and tried to smear to the off-side but was bowled by the slower one.It was a big moment but Mathews and Kapugedera showed excellent maturity in safely negotiating the next ten deliveries to ensure there was no dramatic implosion before they went for the target. They collected ten runs from the 18th over, bowled by Nehra, and added two more fours in the next over, from Piyush Chawla prior to completing the job.Two events summed up the day for India. MS Dhoni couldn’t get his timing going and that powerful bottom-hand was rarely seen today. He accumulated 23 at almost a run-a-ball when big hits were the need of the hour. And Harbhajan, who had bowled like a dream this tournament, had a forgettable day.A third event further marred the day for India. Dilshan, who had a nightmarish competition before today, played a momentum-grabbing cameo after the early loss of the in-form Jayawardene and Jayasuriya. He looted five boundaries from two successive overs bowled by Nehra and Harbhajan to lift Sri Lanka from a dire 6 for 2 in two overs to 32 for 2 in four.India lost all the big moments today. They were first slowed by the slow men, Suraj Randiv and Dilshan, before the seamers led by Lasith Malinga and a surprise performer in Thissara Perera bowled superbly to suffocate them. India had moved to 119 for 2 in 14 overs and it was a decisive phase for both teams. You would have expected India to go for the broke here but it was Sri Lanka who dominated.Thilan Thushara, who leaked 27 runs from his first two overs, bowled the 15th and 18th over and found redemption as he gave away just ten runs. It included the wickets of Raina and Yuvraj Singh, who swung the full tosses to Jayawardene at deep midwicket. There was to be no run-fest in the end as Malinga and Perera applied the squeeze. It was the beginning of the end for India.

While there is undeniable potential talent in the national squad, and one cannot rule out an improved performance in the second game, it seems more likely that South Africa will maintain the gulf in class between the two sides

The Preview by Liam Brickhill23-May-2010

Match Facts

Monday, May 24

Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers added 129 for the third wicket, both going on to register centuries in the first ODI•AFP

The Big Picture

South Africa proved too strong for West Indies once again in the first one-dayer to extend the early success of their tour, with the change in limited-overs format making little difference to the hosts’ fortunes. The architects of South Africa’s win were Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, both of whom went to centuries and added 129 for the third wicket as the West Indian bowlers failed to make the most of conditions that had plenty to offer the seamers.”It was a terrific effort,” Graeme Smith said after the game. “Hash [Amla] and I got off to a good start and in particular in his partnership with AB – it’s always great to see two guys get hundreds and they deserved the hundreds that they got. They played superbly well.”Chris Gayle was understandably disconsolate after yet another patchy effort. But while it is easy to point out where West Indies got things wrong – the failure of their bowlers to land six balls in a row on the spot and the inability of their batsmen to build partnerships – it is less clear just how they can turn things around.West Indies haven’t been helped by injuries to Kemar Roach and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and have called in Dale Richards for the second game. Other than that, they are largely stuck with the squad they have for the moment as other potential replacements for an underperforming batting line-up – such as Devon Smith, Darren Bravo and Brendan Nash – are away on tour with the A side, though it is possible they could be drafted in for the fourth and fifth ODIs. While there is undeniable potential talent in the national squad, and one cannot rule out an improved performance in the second game, it seems more likely that South Africa will maintain the gulf in class between the two sides.

Form guide (only completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa WWLLL
West Indies LWWWW

Watch out for…

David Miller has eased himself into international cricket with minimum fuss – albeit against a bowling attack that is lolling in the doldrums at the moment. His 33 on debut took South Africa to a winning total when they were looking shaky, and his unbeaten 23 in the first ODI also gave his side’s scoreline a timely boost. In both games, he came in with overs running out at the end of the innings, but if he is given more time he already appears to have the capacity to make a big score.
For a player who has scored 5,092 runs in limited-overs internationals at an average of more than 44, Ramnaresh Sarwan’s performances after his comeback from injury have been disappointing. His captain has made clear his desire for someone in the top order to take the initiative, and after a mediocre start in this series, West Indies desperately need Sarwan back at his stylish best.

Team news

It’s unclear what meaningful changes West Indies might be able to make to their side, but they will want Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kemar Roach back as soon as they have recovered from their injuries. Failing that, they will have to stick to the team that lost the opening game on Saturday, although there seems little point in asking Andre Fletcher to open at the moment and someone from the middle order – Sarwan, perhaps – may need to step up and fill a temporary role.
West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 3 Dwayne Bravo, 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Fletcher, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Nikita Miller, 11 Ravi RampaulSouth Africa struck a winning combination in the first game, and although they have said that now is the time for a fresh outlook in the side, they will more than likely stick to the successful formula.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Pitch and conditions

The pitch used in the first ODI looked far improved from the mottled, two-paced wicket in the Twenty20s, although there is still something in it for the bowlers. Taking nothing away from Amla and de Villiers’ superb efforts, that South Africa reached 280 was in large part due to inconsistent bowling from West Indies. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that this game may be affected by the weather, with a high probability of showers in the area.

Stats and trivia

• AB de Villiers has accumulated 486 runs at an average of 121.5 in his last six ODI innings, with his hundred on Saturday his third in consecutive innings, and his fourth in six innings since he reached 121 in the third ODI of England’s winter tour
• At the opposite end of the spectrum, Andre Fletcher’s last innings of note was 48 against Canada in April. Since then, he has made just 55 runs in seven international innings, at an average of 9.17.
  

  Quotes

  “We want to play well, we want to win the series and we want to have a very successful tour of the West Indies.”

  “We need someone out of the top five to take the initiative.”

Robin Martin-Jenkins, the Sussex allrounder, has announced that he will retire from first-class cricket this summer

Cricinfo staff26-May-2010Robin Martin-Jenkins, the Sussex allrounder, has announced that he will retire from first-class cricket this summer. The current County Championship match against Worcestershire will be his last four-day match at Hove, his home ground.Robin, 35, is set to embark on a new career as a Geography and RS teacher at Hurstpierpoint College, when the new term begins this September. He won’t be available for selection after July 19, when Sussex and Worcestershire meet at a Pro 40 match at Hove.The son of leading cricket journalist, author, and cricket correspondent Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Robin made his first-class debut in 1995 and has scored 7174 runs and taken 378 wickets. He had a better career as a bowler in limited-overs games, taking 234 wickets and scoring 1996 runs in 228 matches.”I could have carried on, but I didn’t want to get to the stage where I was holding on too long and not performing,” Robin said. “I’m still enjoying it and I’m going out in a period when I’m still playing well, but I’ve been given a fantastic opportunity outside of cricket now and I intend to grab it with both hands. It’s a good time for the club too as there are some excellent young players coming through.”It’s been amazing to play for the club in what has been probably their greatest decade ever, it’s been a great honour. Yes, there were some tough times when I first broke into the team but that made guys like me stronger cricketers, and we reaped the rewards with the countless trophies we went on to win”.Robin was talked of as a potential allrounder for England, but never made the grade. “I have no regrets. I have always given my all throughout my career and I’ve been very proud to play for Sussex,” Robin added.Sussex chairman Jim May said Robin was a fantastic servant to the county over 15 seasons. “He has played a vital role in our sustained success and has certainly been an unsung hero of our three County Championship winning sides,” May said. “Not only is he an excellent allrounder, but he is also one of the genuinely nicest guys in the game. All of us here at Sussex are disappointed that Robin is leaving us whilst he is in the form of his life, but at the same time we are delighted that he has planned the next phase of his career, and we wish him well”.

West Indies A allrounder Kevin Stoute returned one of the best figures in List A history but it was Lancashire left-arm spinner Gary Keedy’s three-wicket burst that proved pivotal

Cricinfo staff08-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Gary Keedy struck three times to derail the West Indian chase•Getty Images

West Indies A allrounder Kevin Stoute returned one of the best figures in List A history but it was Lancashire left-arm spinner Gary Keedy’s three-wicket burst that proved pivotal at Old Trafford. Before Stoute started running through the batting, the Lancashire openers, Luke Procter and Karl Brown, had already pushed the home side towards a healthy total. However, on his return from injury Keedy’s wickets came early in the innings and derailed the West Indian chase, setting up a comfortable victory.After winning the toss, Procter and Brown put on a brisk 133 before legspinner Anthony Martin struck twice. Procter, 22, playing his second List A progressed towards a maiden century but was three runs short when he became Stoute’s first victim. From 179 for 2, Stoute sliced through the innings to finish with 8 for 52, but couldn’t prevent the home side from scoring at a run a ball in the final 15 overs.The West Indian chase got off to a solid start before captain Omar Phillips was dismissed for 17. Then two young Caribbean batsmen hoping to cement international spots, Andre Fletcher and Darren Bravo, added 36 patient runs before Keedy, making his first appearance of the season after fracturing his collarbone, made a match-turning impact, removing both set batsmen and Kirk Edwards for the addition of 11 runs.Procter’s good day continued as he picked up Chadwick Walton’s wicket which left the visitors at 86 for 5 after having been at 72 for 1. Imran Khan belted 11 fours in a 63-ball 74 but West Indies still finished well short.

Grant Elliott, the New Zealand allrounder, has been named Wellington’s captain in all three formats for the 2010-11 domestic season

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2010Grant Elliott, the New Zealand allrounder, has been named Wellington’s captain in all three formats for the 2010-11 domestic season. He will take over from Matthew Bell, while offspinner Jeetan Patel replaces Neal Parlane as the vice-captain.Elliott, 31, has little captaincy experience at the senior level but will have to lift Wellington after a dismal season in which they finished bottom of the table in both the Plunket Shield and the one-day competition. “Naturally everyone’s disappointed with the performance of the team last season,” he said. “But with change comes greater enthusiasm, and we’re all extremely keen to turn things around together.”He was Wellington’s Player of the Year for two successive seasons before missing much of the 2009-10 season due to a knee injury. Elliott expected the help of the coach and the senior players to turn Wellington into a team challenging for titles. “Fortunately we’ve got a top management support structure, led by head coach Anthony Stuart, and an experienced group of senior players aged in their late 20s and early 30s who are all at their peak of their games.”The young talent in the Wellington side also excited Elliott. “There are also some excellent young players emerging in Wellington, such as Harry Boam, Ili Tugaga, Josh Brodie, Michael Pollard, and Joe Austin-Smellie, just to name a few. I am very keen to help develop these players in to top first-class cricketers.”It remains to be seen how often Elliott will be free to represent Wellington since he has become a regular member of New Zealand’s one-day side and is a centrally contracted player. Injury has kept him out of international cricket for the past eight months, but he has been picked for next month’s one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka.

Jesse Ryder has added another chapter to his troubled career after being fined for “intoxicated and rowdy” behaviour at a hotel

Cricinfo staff07-Aug-2010Jesse Ryder has added another chapter to his troubled career after being fined for “intoxicated and rowdy” behaviour at a hotel during an indoor cricket tournament in the first week of July. Ryder, who is currently out of the New Zealand side with an elbow injury, admitted to a serious misconduct charge but is expected to be available for the tour of Bangladesh in September.”I accept that being intoxicated and rowdy during the night put me in a position where I put New Zealand Cricket and my own reputation at risk and I accept this is not tolerable,” Ryder said in a letter to New Zealand Cricket. “The potential consequences of this event have distressed me over the last few weeks.”Ryder said he had apologised to the hotel for his behaviour after a noise complaint was lodged. He had been staying there with his indoor cricket team.”I have put a lot of time into working out a plan to prevent me being in this position again,” he said. “I am committed to making the right changes in my life as I really want a long career as a professional cricket player. I’ve had enough of getting into this sort of trouble and bringing attention to myself.”The most serious of Ryder’s indiscretions came in 2008 when he put his right hand through a glass window during a late-night session at a Christchurch bar. Early last year he gave up alcohol after another incident.”I know the changes I am making do not dismiss the misconduct issue, however I am fully committed to [New Zealand] and I am committed to doing what is necessary to be the best I can be,” he said. “I am grateful to NZC for sticking by me and I want to thank them by performing for many years to come.”Geoff Allott, NZC’s general manger of cricket, said the matter was viewed “very seriously”. “NZC is extremely disappointed in this breach of trust and protocol by Jesse,” he said. “We have seen some positive progress from Jesse in recent times, which makes this incident even more disappointing. Jesse has been fined in line with our serious misconduct provisions and clearly understands we will not tolerate a repetition of this type of behaviour.” He gave Ryder credit for letting NZC know about the incident.Allott told the that although NZC were aware of the incident before Ryder’s fitness test on July 21, which ruled him out of the Sri Lanka tri-series, the issue had “no influence on the decision to keep him back from Sri Lanka”.

David Hussey’s Super Over pyrotechnics have spiced up the race for the semi-finals in Group A, one that would have been decided had Chennai Super Kings beaten Victoria Bushrangers

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya19-Sep-2010

Match facts

Monday, September 20
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)

Big Picture

John Hastings has been a key player for Victoria since the start of the Australian domestic season in 2009-10•AFP

David Hussey’s Super Over pyrotechnics have spiced up the race for the semi-finals in Group A, one that would have been decided had Chennai Super Kings beaten Victoria Bushrangers on Saturday. That result has offered a ray of hope for laggards Wayamba, who’ve belied expectations thus far. Mahela Jayawardene and Jehan Mubarak, their experienced top-order batsmen, have failed to fire, while their bowling, including Ajantha Mendis and Chanaka Welegedara, was torn apart in a dispiriting defeat against Chennai. Another flop will knock them out of the tournament.Victoria bounced back from their opening defeat with some fiery batting up front led by Aaron Finch, and good support in the bowling line-up, to the opening seamers Peter Siddle and Dirk Nannes. Their two consecutive wins, however, have both gone into the final over. In what is effectively a must-win encounter, they will want a big margin of victory on Monday given their net run-rate of -0.407, behind table leaders Warriors and Chennai. If they do that, they’ll remain in the hunt but with their fate at the mercy of other results in the group.

Team news

Brad Hodge returned to the line-up for the game against Chennai while Rob Quiney slipped down the order. Injuries notwithstanding, Victoria could retain the same XI.
Victoria: 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Brad Hodge, 3 Matthew Wade (wk), 4 David Hussey (capt), 5 Andrew McDonald, 6 Rob Quiney, 7 John Hastings, 8 Clint McKay, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Bryce McGain.There were problems aplenty for Wayamba against Chennai. Welegedara was smashed for 47 in four overs while Mendis went wicketless for 45. The allrounder Farveez Maharoof missed that game with injury and, if he recovers, will be a boost in both departments.Wayamba: 1 Mahela Jayawardene, 2 Jeevantha Kulatunga, 3 Jehan Mubarak (capt), 4 Kushal Perera (wk), 5 Farveez Maharoof, 6 Thissara Perera, 7 Shalika Karunanayake, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Ajantha Mendis, Chanaka Welegedara.

Watch out for …

Watching Isuru Udana bowl sometimes makes one think if he is a spinner with a longish run-up. Such is his preference for the slower ball. But he’s been very effective, with 25 wickets in 16 games at 15.32 for his team. Far less sparing in his use of variation than most other seamers, Udana’s skill will be tested against an explosive Victorian opening pair.
John Hastings mixes it up well when bowling and was Victoria’s best bowler against Chennai, picking up 2 for 22 in four overs. He’s been quite successful in the domestic arena, finishing the 2009-10 season as Victoria’s highest wicket-taker in the three competitions including the KFC Big Bash. His career economy rate of 7.76 is slightly on the higher side, something he’ll want to address given how heavily Victoria rely on their support seamers for containment.

Key contests

Victoria batsmen v Wayamba spinners: Against Chennai, Hussey and Finch picked R Ashwin’s variations well and targeted him for harsh treatment. The rest of the line-up, however, floundered against Muttiah Muralitharan and Suresh Raina. Like Ashwin, Ajantha Mendis has a deceptive carrom ball, but is coming into the match after a thrashing at the hands of Chennai’s batsmen, a game in which Rangana Herath fared marginally better. Given Victoria’s mixed show against Chennai, their tussle with Wayamba’s under-fire spinners could be filled with intrigue.

Stats and trivia

• The Chennai-Victoria game was the 32nd tie in seven years of Twenty20 cricket and the second in the Champions League’s history.
• Dirk Nannes has picked up 59 wickets in Twenty20 games this year, second in the list behind Kieron Pollard who is on 60

Morne van Wyk scored an unbeaten century to lead South Africa A to a comfortable victory over Sri Lanka A in the final of the triangular series

Cricinfo staff06-Sep-2010
ScorecardMorne van Wyk’s century set up South Africa’s victory•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Morne van Wyk scored an unbeaten century to lead South Africa A to a comfortable victory over Sri Lanka A in the final of the triangular series at the Sinhalese Sports Club. South Africa chased down their Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 252 with 19 balls to spare.van Wyk and Stiaan van Zyl got South Africa off to a rousing start with a 96-run opening partnership off 13 overs. van Zyl was bowled for 39 by offspinner Sachithra Senanayake, but van Wyk went on to complete his second century in four games and overtake his captain Dean Elgar as the tournament’s leading run scorer. His unbeaten 136 came off 108 balls, with 16 fours and two sixes and he finished the competition with 269 runs at an average of 134.5. Meanwhile teammate Rusty Theron was the leading wicket-taker with 8 wickets at an average of 16.25.Sri Lanka opener Tharanga Paranavitana wound up on the losing side again, despite making his second consecutive hundred. He scored 108 off 126 balls, sharing a 129-run partnership with Dinesh Chandimal for the second wicket, as Sri Lanka made 255 for six after winning the toss and choosing to bat. Jeevan Mendis gave the innings some late impetus with his 56-ball 60.